Twas The Night
by samuraistar
Summary: The It Family celebrates their first Christmas together! No real plot, just a ton of adorableness with some Ralph/Van friendship and Hero's Cuties fluff! Merry Christmas!
1. Family Portrait

I don't know why no one seems to have done this yet, but I'm going for it!

I try to do a Christmas story every year, and since I'm currently hooked on Wreck-It Ralph, it all fits perfectly together!

_**FIRST OF ALL**_, there's some required viewing for this first chapter: Irving Berlin's _White Christmas_, starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera Ellen.

There's no "saving Christmas" plot for this; it's just a sweet, sugary, lovey-dovey story of the first family Christmas for the It-Family, as I like to call them.

So bundle up, take your insulin, and get ready for Christmas fluff!

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**Chapter One: Family Portrait**  
Calhoun chuckled at the way Vanellope was pouting; she knelt and adjusted the child's white sable headdress that circled her hair while taking the full brunt of her displeasure.

"Do I really have to do this?" she muttered.

"Yes," Tammy smirked and feathered out the girl's bangs, "One, it's Christmas—specifically, our first family Christmas. Two, sometimes you have to do stuff like this for the people you love"

"_You_ don't seem to have a problem," said Vanellope, "I wouldn't figure you'd even _like_ dresses."

"Only on special occasions," Tammy smiled again, "which this is."

The two ladies and their It Men were in the Ice Cream Mountain region of _Sugar Rush_, where the ever-sprinkling powdered sugar provided the perfect background for their family Christmas portrait. Ralph and Felix were dressed in warm velvet Santa suits with big sequined Christmas stars here and there in dark shades of red so they didn't stand out too much. They also had the standard Santa hats, white gloves, and black boots.

The girls were wearing beautiful long-sleeved, floor length Santa style dresses of the same pattern and material as the boys. Calhoun's had white trim in an A-shape down one side of the skirt and circling just above the bottom, a white muff, and a big hair pin on the left side of her head like a sprig of holly. Vanellope's dress had more white trim. One circled her shoulders and some made an A-shape on one side and curved down the other side. She also had a white muff and the white sable headdress. Both girls also wore red gloves.

"Well, at least this one's comfy," Vanellope conceded, "And it looks good on me, right?"

"It looks perfect on you," said Calhoun, "You're beautiful."

"As are you, Mrs. Fix-It," said Felix from the side. He wrapped an arm around his wife and turned her face to steal a kiss; Vanellope went "bleh" and trotted off to Ralph. The married couple chuckled at her.

"You don't look half bad yourself," she said appreciatively, "Is everything ready?"

"Yep," he said brightly, "Sour Bill's got the whole thing set up!" Tammy nodded, adjusted her hairpin, and stood up.

"You didn't hear it from me, but I'm actually enjoying this," she said as they walked off hand in hand, "It'll be nice to pose for a picture out of uniform…and for a family picture." Felix squeezed her hand and she smiled a bit bashfully. "Besides, it's my first Christmas," she added, "Might as well do it right!"

Felix smiled lovingly at her and said, "I'm glad I get to be part of it."

"I certainly wouldn't be doing this without you," she replied, "especially since this was your idea!"

"Heh, heh!" he laughed and blushed, "Yeah, _White Christmas_ is my favorite Christmas film, so this has always been a dream of mine!"

"I hope that doesn't include me doing a _Sisters_ number with the kid, 'cause I don't go for those giant feathered fans," she said wryly. Felix laughed again and said, "No, this is enough for me!"

"Okay, how are we doing this?" Ralph asked as they approached the others. Sour Bill had what was actually a highly professional camera cleverly dressed up as an old-fashioned one on a tripod with a big umbrella standing over it. A big red sleigh was standing nearby, drawn by two splendid white sugar horses strapped in red harnesses with golden sleigh bells!

"Oh! Well…" Felix hopped over. "Let's see—Tammy, you stand here behind Ralph. Ralph, you turn to your left—yep, that's it! Now hold up your right hand, palm up. Vanellope, you stand right there in his hand!" Vanellope hiked up her skirts and jumped from the sleigh onto the giant, white-gloved hand. "Okay," Felix continued, "Now turn to your left and put your hands in your muff. 'Atta girl! Remember to stand up straight! Now Tammy, I want your right hand on Ralph's elbow. Yep! Just like that! Now everybody hold it!"

He hopped onto the edge of the sleigh seat; it stuck out just far enough to show his feet and was just high enough for him to get right behind Tammy and hold her elbow. "Okay!" he piped, "Eyes on the camera!" They all turned their heads to their right, where Sour Bill was waiting.

"Everybody ready?" he asked with his usual cheer.

"Yes, sir!" Felix answered, "Fire when ready!"

"Mm-kay," said Bill, "Smile and say cheese."

"Cheese!"

_Click!_

"I'll have them ready by dinnertime," he announced.

"Thanks, Billy!" Vanellope chirped, "Now let's head back to the castle! It's party time!"

* * *

**Author's Review****:**  
In case you're wondering, yes-I AM one of those people bound and determined to get Calhoun in a dress!

Sorry that was so short, but I'm working on the rest of it and I wanted to get started BEFORE Christmas, so there it is!

Okay, if anyone takes commission requests, I would die happy if someone would draw the Wreck-It Ralph crew exactly like the cover of _White Christmas_! The image is just so perfect, but I'm not talented enough to draw something that beautiful myself. My art lies in the written word so I'm begging for someone, ANYone, to please do that for me!

Plus: I'm thinking of getting a Wattpad. It looks like a good website, but I'm not sure. What are your thoughts on that? Please stay tuned for the next chapter!


	2. Christmas Parties

Welcome to chapter two, which involves Christmas parties, dancing, decorations, pajamas, and some slight marital innuendo. (…) Actually, not even slight; it's less than slight. It's like…one notch short of slight, whatever that is. Anyway, please enjoy!

I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE SONGS OR MOVIES MENTIONED HERE. I just think they're awesome!

* * *

_"Here is my speech: (Ahem) Thank you all and Merry Christmas!"_ – Fozziwig, _The Muppet Christmas Carol_

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**Chapter 2: Christmas Parties**  
Sour Bill jumped out of the sleigh and hurried into the castle to announce the return of the presidential party.

"All hail the rightful leader of _Sugar Rush_," he presented, "President Vanellope von Schweetz and her personal guests, Wreck-It Ralph, Fix-It Felix, Jr., and Sgt. Calhoun."

The Sugar Racers crowded around Vanellope. They were all dressed as the elves from _Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer_ but with their own colors. The only difference was that Candlehead had a white taper candle on her head, crowned with holly.

"Hey, guys!" Vanellope chirped, "You all look great! So does the court!"

The Royal Court was all decked out with holly garlands strung overhead, gold and silver tinsel spiraling the columns, a buffet table, small dining tables, a DJ table with a stereo, and a disco ball hanging over the biggest Christmas tree any of the Core Four had ever seen! It was lavishly decorated and piled with presents, a spectacle in which _Sugar Rush_ took particular pride.

It wasn't lit yet, though.

"We were waiting for you to come back so you could throw the switch," Taffyta explained, leading Vanellope by the hand, "King Candy used to do it as a way to kick off the party and…well, even though he was actually bad, we thought it would still be a nice tradition."

"Sounds cool to me!" said Vanellope. They arrived at a lightswitch by one of the side doors. Taffyta nodded to Rancis, who stuck his thumb and finger in his mouth and gave a shrill whistle to get everyone's attention.

Vanellope gulped as all eyes turned to her. It was one thing being in a race where there were other people being watched besides her, but it was a whole other thing being the complete center of attention. Even though she'd been president for several months, she wasn't quite used to this yet.

"Ahem," she said, "Uh…Hey, everybody! Welcome to the annual _Sugar Rush_ Christmas Party! This is my first one ever, so it's cool to be here! Um…you know what? Forget the speech. Let's turn this bad boy on."

With a flip of the switch, the tree lights came to life and everyone cheered! Vanellope hopped onto the throne and pointed at the DJ.

"LET'S PARTY!" she smiled. The DJ saluted her and started off with the Hanson version of "Run, Run, Rudolph." Vanellope grabbed Ralph by the finger and dragged him out to the dance floor. Felix and Tammy grabbed some food and settled at a table; they were hungry and wanted to take in the scene for a bit at first.

For all his size, Ralph proved to be a pretty good dancer. His specials mostly involved moonwalking and The Robot and the Sugar Racers couldn't get enough of him!

"Check out Mr. Popular," Tammy chuckled. Felix was surprised and amused to see Ralph break dancing during the song's guitar solo while the kids and Candy People cheered him on!

"I've never seen him so happy," he said. Tammy smiled and nodded. They finished their food just as another song started up. It was Elton John's "Step Into Christmas."

"Well, Tammy Jean," said Felix, "What do you say we show these young 'uns how it's done?"

"I say this dress was made for dancing," she smiled and took his offered hand.

Tammy had hated dancing before she met Felix, who as we all know, loved it, and now she'd only dance with him. So over time, they developed a special style of their own that involved holding both hands and going through the normal motions. When Felix wanted to twirl her, he would do so while hopping to get the full effect. For dipping, all he had to do was pull his Wedding Kiss move. It was simple enough, but they took the time to get it down to a science. The result was a married couple dancing beautifully enough to overpower the oddity of their appearance, and it did. More than one person stopped to admire them, especially the way Tammy's skirt swept like a curtain over the floor.

"Gee whiz, Vanellope," said Rancis, "You've got the coolest friends ever!"

"I do, don't I?" she said proudly, "C'mon, Ralph! Let's get some cake!"

* * *

They didn't hang around _Sugar Rush_ too long; the Nicelanders were having a combined party with the men from _Hero's Duty_ in the new rec center they'd built in East Niceland. One of Calhoun's other soldiers had a famous way with barbecue cooking and Mrs. Kohut joined culinary forces with Mary; between the three of them and several helpers, they laid out a spread worthy of being the Christmas feast!

Tammy and Vanellope were still in their red dresses, but this time Tammy didn't feel much like dancing; she did, however, take great delight in snapping pictures of Felix sweeping Vanellope around the floor. They danced well together and looked adorable doing it!

"Not bad, huh?" said Ralph as he joined her at their table.

"I could watch this all night," Tammy replied, not even bothering to hide her smile, "That right there…that's why I love this man."

Ralph nodded and smiled at Vanellope; the exercise of the dance put a sparkle in her eyes and a flush in her cheeks! Ralph didn't think it was possible, but she was even more adorable than usual!

* * *

The It Family ducked out early so they could spend the Eve together in the little house Tammy and Felix now called home.

"Ready?" Vanellope called from the hallway.

"Ready!" said Ralph. Vanellope glitched into the living room with a "Boo-yah!" She twirled around in her brand new Christmas pajamas! They were red with well-stitched cuffs and covered in little Yorkie dogs with bows around their necks. The top had a nice collar and a breast pocket. She strutted around the living room to the applause of the others.

"Here we see President von Schweetz in her yuletide _ensemble_," she said, trying to sound like an announcer, "This top and pants combo is perfect for a slumber party or cocoa by the Christmas tree!"

"Don't forget that jingle bell scrunchie," said Tammy on her way to the kitchen. She was wearing a red top and pants combo too, with green edging on the cuffs and collars. Vanellope giggled and shook her head to make her scrunchie ring its jingle bells of gold, silver, and green!

"Thank you, Robin Leach!" Ralph said as he got to his feet, "Now that we've all got our PJs, let's get this party started!" He was in a giant blue T-shirt with a checklist that said, "Naughty" and "Nice" and "I Tried My Best." The last one was checked off. He also had blue pants covered in snowflakes and a Santa hat on his head. Felix was in the same PJs as Tammy, only his were green with red edging.

The family party started with trimming the tree and lighting a fire in the fireplace to the sweet sounds of their favorite Christmas tunes. Most of the tinsel garland ended up being turned into jewelry by Vanellope, but they saved enough of it for the tree. By the time they were done, the tall fir was a thing of well-loved splendor in gold lights and colored ornaments and tiny toy figurines and a handmade doily angel lovingly presiding from the top. Tammy passed out mugs of hot chocolate.

"A toast to the tree," she proposed.

"To the tree!" they echoed and clicked their mugs together.

"Looks like we've got the whole place decorated," Ralph observed, "Tree, fire, stockings, house lights, wreath on the door…Hey, what's this thing?" He poked at a clipping from the tree hanging from the ceiling over the couch tied with a red ribbon.

"That's the mistletoe," Vanellope said, "I made it!"

"What happened to the one we bought?" he asked. She cocked her head to the side and sipped her cocoa.

"I don't know," she said thoughtfully, "I hung it up yesterday."

"Cookies are ready!" Felix called from the kitchen and brought out a tray piled with red and green frosted sugar cookies cut into Christmas shapes. "Come and get your Christmas cookies!" Vanellope immediately dove for the cookies and Ralph just shrugged and joined in. The little president plopped down on the couch next to Tammy.

"Sarge, why is your face pink?" she asked flatly.

"Oh, is it?" Tammy smiled nonchalantly, "Must've been the frosting." She took a long drink of chocolate and said nothing further.

"Movie time!" said Felix, "Vanellope gets first pick!"

"Ooh! Ooh!" she hopped up and down, "I want to watch _Elf_!"

"_Elf_ it is!" In no time at all, Vanellope was bundled up on the floor in a soft, warm blanket that Mrs. Kohut had made for her. She cuddled up next to Ralph, who also had a Kohut blanket; Mr. and Mrs. Fix-It were on the couch with Tammy's head in Felix's lap and Gretchen the cat was curled up on the hearth with paper gift ribbon tied around her neck.

The whole scene was picture-perfect and for once, nothing was coming to spoil it.

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**Author's Review****:**  
For those of you who haven't read my previous Wreck-It Ralph stories, Mrs. Kohut is Kohut's mother, who I made up for "An Officer And A Handyman," my most previous WiR fic. Gretchen is Tammy's cat that she brought with her from _Hero's Duty_.

Vanellope's PJs were directly designed after the ones I got last year; in my family, we get Christmas PJs every Christmas Eve and then we go driving through Christmas light areas! It's so much fun! Ralph's shirt is one I found at the Wal-Mart, except it has one of the Despicable Me Minions on the front (can't wait for the movie!).

How do you like the gag with the mistletoe? It comes back later in the next chapter! Please leave questions and comments and please stay tuned for what will unfortunately be the last (but probably longest) chapter! See you then!


	3. The Greatest Gift

_**STOP. BEFORE YOU PROCEED, PLEASE READ THIS.**_ This chapter will only truly make sense if you first listen to "One Toy Soldier" by Enya from her Christmas album, _And Winter Came…_

Thank you. You may now proceed!

Oh, by the way, the first part of this is a dream and will totally appeal to you Hero's Cuties fans! This is the closest to dirty you will ever see me get (at least, with these two). I OWN NOTHING.

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_"There's no greater gift than friendship."_ – Santa Claus, _The Polar Express_

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**Chapter 3: The Greatest Gift**  
_Felix was in the toy store, looking over each and every toy with his sharp handyman eyes, when they fell upon a drummer at the end of a row of toy soldiers. He stopped; the little soldier looked so sad!_

_"What's troubling you, little fella?" he asked, leaning forward a bit._

_"My drum is broken," he replied as he held it up for him to see. It was a red Colonial snare drum with snapped strings and a hole in the skin. Felix whistled a low note and took it for a better look._

_"It's pretty busted up," he observed._

_"I know," the soldier sighed, "and I'm the only drummer in the whole regiment since the other one got sold. I have to have a drum, especially at Christmas! Otherwise, how will I keep my oath?"_

_"Your oath?" Felix repeated._

_"Yes, sir," he nodded and recited._

_**"For he keeps the beat of marching feet  
He keeps the beat so true  
He wants to sing and hopes to bring  
Happy Christmas Day to you."**_

_"Hey, I know that song!" Felix said brightly._

_"Oh, it's much more than a song, sir," the soldier said fervently, "It's a magic spell and when I play it on my drum every sunset, all the other toys that hear it come to life and then we play and dance and sing together until I play again at sunrise. When I do that, we all scamper back to our places."_

_"That sounds wonderful," said Felix, "It'd be an awful shame not to have your fun on Christmas Eve of all nights. I can fix that!"_

_He whipped out his magic golden hammer and before you can say "Jiminy jaminy," the drum was as good as new!_

_"Here you go, little friend," he smiled as he returned it, "Fit as a fiddle!"_

_"My drum!" the soldier cried joyfully, "You fixed my drum! I can't believe it!" He strapped it on and began to play. Felix stood there and listened until it was time to go. As he turned away, he saluted the drummer and said, "Merry Christmas, little soldier!"_

_"Merry Christmas to you, sir!"_

Tamora woke from the beautiful dream and glanced to her right, where her husband was sleeping peacefully and closely beside her. He was shirtless and his hair was messy (of course, we all know why) and he was on his stomach with his face turned to her and his hand between their heads. She slipped her hand under his and unconsciously, he kissed it and scooted closer to her. It made her smile dearly and warmed her heart.

"I love you," she whispered. He didn't answer, but he did squeeze her hand gently and she took that as a response. She felt something settle on her cheek like a flower petal. She picked it up and saw that it _was_ a flower petal, from the mistletoe hanging over their heads, the one that had "mysteriously" disappeared from the living room. She looked up at it with a smirk, turned to Felix, and stared adoringly at him until she fell asleep again.

* * *

"Ralph," Vanellope asked gently, "Do you believe in Santa Claus?"

They had finished _Elf_ and were now watching _The Year Without A Santa Claus_. Felix and Tammy had already retired for the evening, so Vanellope wasn't worried about having a private conversation.

"You bet I do," Ralph said, "How come?" Her face fell a bit.

"This is the first real Christmas I've ever had," she said, "The whole time I was a glitch, no one ever came to see me on Christmas. If Santa was real, why would he have ignored me for so long?"

Ralph looked at her for a moment; he was propped up on his elbows with another mug of cocoa.

"I'll tell you something personal, kid," he said, "When I was alone at the dump, Santa used to come visit me every single Christmas Eve."

"Did he bring you any presents?" she asked.

"He brought me food," he said, "Homecooked food, all ready to eat. I felt like I didn't really need any presents as long as I could get a decent meal. The way I figure it, Santa has a soft spot for the lonely ones like us. If he came to see me, I _guarantee_ he's been to see you, too."

Vanellope sat against his arm and thought for a second.

"You know, now that you mention it," she said a bit slowly, "I remember _something._ Every Christmas Eve after I fell asleep, I could feel someone patting me on the head with, like, this warm, tingly, glowy thing. It felt so good and it made me so happy. I wonder if that was it."

"Sounds like Santa to me," Ralph shrugged. She just nodded and thought some more while watching the movie.

* * *

Hours later, Ralph was sitting in front of the couch with his head back against the cushions; the blanket he had was even big enough to cover his feet and with the added warmth of the fire and Vanellope curled up behind his head, he slept quite comfortably.

Vanellope stirred because she'd heard something like the low whistling of the wind; she got up on her hands and stared blearily at the mantel on the fireplace, where they'd left milk and cookies for old St. Nick.

Then her eyes popped open and she rubbed them hard.

"Santa?" she whispered in open-mouthed amazement.

"Uh-oh, caught again," Santa Claus chuckled, "Good evening, Vanellope. I see you're finally having a happy holiday!"

"Yeah, I am," she nodded and hopped off the couch, "What gives, anyway? I spent all those years alone in a cave and you never brought me so much as a candy cane. What took you so long?"

"Just because I didn't bring you any presents, you thought you were alone at Christmas?" said Santa. She stopped for a moment.

"What do you mean?" she asked in confusion.

"Close your eyes," he instructed. When she did, he gently cupped her head with his mittened hand and stroked her hair. She gasped softly, recognizing this feeling form Christmas Eves long gone by.

"That was really you?" she said emotionally, "Every year, that was you?" He nodded and knelt to her.

"The reason I never brought you any presents," he said wisely, "is because I knew that you had an even greater gift coming your way: The gift of love. That is a gift that lasts all throughout the year and I knew you'd find it without my help."

"Love, huh?" Vanellope raised her eyebrow at Ralph, still bundled up in his blanket. "You mean the giant stinky marshmallow over there?" Santa glanced at him and chuckled again.

"But of course," he said warmly, "Friendship is one of many forms of love! You love Ralph, do you not?"

"Yeah," she finally smiled, "I guess I do. Thanks a lot, Santa."

"Here." Santa brought out a red box tied with a gold ribbon. "I was going to put this under the tree with the others, but here you go."

"Wow, thanks!" She accepted and knelt down to tear the box open. She gasped again. "No way," she breathed and carefully lifted out a beautiful Raggedy Anne doll. "Raggedy Anne! I always wanted one of these!" She hugged the doll and saw something else in the box. "The book, too?" She jumped and hugged the jolly man. "Thank you, Santa," she croaked, trying not to cry. Santa smiled and hugged her back. After a moment, he disappeared in a whirlwind of snowflakes that swirled around her with a whispered "Merry Christmas, Vanellope." The snowflakes flew up the chimney, so she ran out the front door and onto the lawn, turning in all directions and scanning the snow-filled skies with her breath catching in the chill wind. She could see nothing through the curtain of flakes, but she distinctly heard sleigh bells and Santa's booming "Ho, ho, ho" filling the cold darkness.

For a moment, Vanellope just stood there, a red spot on a quilt of white in what seemed to be a universe of snowflakes. She had seen Santa Claus. Probably no one would ever believe her, but she had seen him, just as he had seen her every Christmas Eve of her exile.

She was startled out of her musings by the sound of the door opening and Ralph coming out to her, going "Kid, are you nuts? You'll catch your death out here!"

"Ralph!" she piped, "Ralph, I saw him! He was here!"

"Who, Santa?"

"No, Lee Majors," she rolled her eyes, "Of _course_ Santa! He gave me a doll and a hug he flew up the chimney and it wasn't a dream because I'm freezing my keister off!"

"Well, bring that keister back inside, then!" he said as he picked her up and carried her in. He closed the door behind them and shivered. "Whew! I need some cocoa!" He nuked a couple of mugs of chocolate and they sat by the fire again. "He came and saw me right after you fell asleep," he said, "He won't be coming to visit me anymore, now that I've got a family."

"I guess he won't visit me, either," Vanellope said, "but you know…I think I'm okay with that." She cuddled her new doll. "As long as I've got you, I can't go wrong, right?"

"You bet, kid," he smiled, "You're stuck with me for life."

"I'll drink to that," she said. They clinked their mugs together with a mutual "Merry Christmas" and finished their cocoa in a comfortable silence, after which they returned to the couch and fell back to sleep, lulled by the cheery sound of the warm fire.

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**Author's Review****:**  
I was meaning to make this a three-shot, but my inner muse wants to drag it out as long as possible, so the next chapter will the be the last one!

I'm not sure how I thought of Felix and the toy soldier and the Enya song, but it made a perfect combo for me and a wonderful Christmas dream for Tammy.

Speaking of whom, this isn't the first time I've "shown" a couple in bed. In one of my Kingdom Hearts stories, my OC has a nightmare and her husband (Riku) rocks her back to sleep, so no dirty activity there. This may be, however, the first time I've ever dropped an innuendo; but quite honestly, they got much better use out of that mistletoe than if it had just hung as a useless decoration.

I always figured Vanellope would've had trouble believing in Santa, not because it's a cliché, but because of all that time she spent alone. Santa would never leave somebody like her alone at Christmas, I would think, so that turned out well (I hope). As for the doll, maybe she would like dolls, maybe not; but there's this fan art on Pinterest of Vanellope holding a handmade doll in her bed (like Lilo!) so I figured she would've at least wanted a doll for comfort purposes. And in my opinion, Raggedy Anne is the best doll in the universe.

Oh, and Lee Majors made a cameo appearance in _Scrooged_, one of the greatest and funniest Christmas movies EVER.

Questions, comments, etc.! See you next chapter!


	4. Christmas Snow

So yeah, I kinda dragged my feet with this one, as I have my other Wreck-It Ralph stories. I'm trying to write a longer one, but we'll just have to see what happens.

Sherlock fans will appreciate what I make Felix wear in this chapter! Please enjoy and HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS!

* * *

_"Sharing so much joy and cheer, what a wonderful feeling."_ – Ray Charles, _That Spirit of Christmas_

* * *

**Chapter Four: Christmas Snow**  
When Tammy and Felix came out Christmas morning, they snuck a non-flash shot of the tiny girl curled up in her blanket, nesting on Ralph's back like a kitten on a bulldog.

"Merry Christmas, everybody!" Felix softly called, "Come on! It's time to open presents!" Immediately Vanellope's head popped up with her eyes trying to pry themselves open.

"Did someone say presents?" she said groggily. When she saw the pile Santa had left around the tree, she went "Whoa" and padded over to it. "Sweet mother of monkey milk! It's the mother lode!" She glitched back to Ralph and started jumping on him. "Ralphie, get up! We hit the jackpot!"

"Stop—get—off," Ralph grunted with the impact, "Okay! I'm up!" He sat up and Vanellope started distributing gifts. Everybody got great stuff that they loved and after eating some of the candy out of their stockings, they all bundled up and headed outside to play in the Christmas snow.

"Felix," said Tammy. Felix turned to her; she looked stunning in her army green ladies trench coat, dark red scarf, khaki pants, and low heel, knee-length black cowgirl boots. And with the snow and all, she was just about as pretty as she could be! Felix was wearing blue jeans, a heavy black trench coat that reached his knees, and a dark blue scarf tied infinity style around his neck. _He_ looked pretty darn good in the snow, too!

"Here." She knelt and withdrew a small gift box. "I wanted to give you this in private." He smiled warmly.

"Me, too." He handed her an equally small box. Tammy opened it to find a bracelet shaped like green and silver rose leaves with a red rose in full bloom in the middle. It was flat like the leaves and the bracelet could be adjusted, should she be brave enough to try and wear it under her armor.

"It's gorgeous," she murmured, "I love it." Felix put it on her wrist and kissed her hand in that certain fever-inducing way that was singularly his, a way that made her wonder why the snow around them hadn't melted. He then opened his gift and gasped.

"Jiminy jaminy," he said softly. It was a solid gold pocket watch with his hammer etched on the front!

"Open it," she nodded at it. He pushed the button and it snapped open to play a tinkling music box version of the standard Westminister Chimes. Inside the cover were the softly engraved words "_To Felix_" and "_Vous fixe mon Coeur_," which he read aloud in a flawless accent that made Tammy's face go redder than Rudolph's nose.

"I should've figured you'd know French," she muttered.

"Mm-hmm," he nodded and translated, _"You fixed my heart."_ He looked humbly at her.

"Well, you did," she half-shrugged, "I just wanted to remind you." They shared a soft look for a moment before Felix wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her sweetly and tenderly while she hugged him around his neck.

"Merry Christmas, Felix," she whispered.

"Merry Christmas, Tammy Jean," he replied.

"Will you guys come on?" Vanellope called, "We're trying to start a snowball fight!" Tammy gave Felix one last peck before she stood up, scooping up a handful of snow.

"You're on, Madame President!" she said and chucked a snowball right at her!

"Whoa!" Vanellope ducked and returned fire. "We're under attack!" she laughed and ran to Ralph.

"Not a problem!" he said. He quickly built a rough snow fort and by the time Vanellope dove behind it, he also had a huge pile of snowballs ready!

"You ready, kid?" he said. When she nodded, he scooped up an armful of them and the two of them let loose a powdery white barrage! The Fix-Its ducked behind their own half-done fort.

"I guess I forgot to warn you," said Felix, "Ralph's a real good shot!"

"So am I," she smirked as she jumped up and threw some of her own. She barely dodged one and hunkered down next to Felix. "Time for re-enforcements." She busted out a walkie talkie. "Polar Bear, this is Goldilocks. Report, Polar Bear."

"Polar Bear reporting," came Kohut's voice, "What's your position, Goldilocks?"

"Front lawn of the Love Nest," she said, "Santa's got a brand new bag."

"Roger," he responded, "On the way."

"Why is Kohut's code name Polar Bear?" Felix asked.

"He's a hgue fan of the Coca-Cola Bear," she answered with a smile.

"So you're Goldilocks," he observed, "Do I have a code name?" She looked at him with an uncomfortable blush.

"You have a few…unauthorized nicknames," she said awkwardly, "Tiny Tim, Golden Boy, Little Boy Blue, Paulie Pocket, Thor…"

"Hey, I like that one!" he smiled.

"Me, too," she confessed, "The most popular one is Teeny Little Super Guy, but I drew the line at Tyrion Lannister."

Kohut, Markowski, and a few of Calhoun's men came from around the corner of the house like a SWAT team. Some of them flanked the fort and opened fire with fresh snowballs while Kohut and Markowski re-enforced the fort.

"Having a good Christmas, boys?" she smiled.

"Aye, ma'am!" they responded.

"Nicelanders, 3:00!" Markowski shouted. Everybody looked to see the small people joining the ranks at Ralph's fort. Ralph rose up from behind it.

"We'll give you one chance to surrender before we unleash our secret weapon!" he challenged. Team Fix-It stood up.

"Markowski," Calhoun ordered, "Send them our reply."

Their reply was a snowball the size of Ralph's head smashing him in the face.

"All right!" said Ralph, "You asked for it! Stand back, everybody!"

They made way and Ralph backed up several feet; Vanellope and a couple of the ladies rolled a giant snowball in front of him. He hefted it over his head, got a running start, and leapt high into the air!

_"I'M GONNA WRECK IT!"_ he roared before dunking it like a basketball right onto the fort while the soldiers scattered.

For a moment the defeated team looked surprised at their destroyed fort, then at each other, then at Ralph.

"Jiminy jaminy," Felix finally said, "When you win, you win."

"Yeah!" Vanellope jumped up and led the winning team in a cheer. She glitched onto Ralph's shoulder and hugged him. "Way to go, Ralphie!" Calhoun's men, thoroughly impressed, crowded around him. Vanellope hopped off to get out of their way and walked off a few feet to where the snow was still untouched; she spun around, let herself fall backwards, and made a snow angel. Felix and Tammy plopped down near her and did the same.

For a moment, Vanellope just laid there, staring up at the sky until she had to close her eyes and let the falling flakes settle on her dark lashes like stardust and melt on her hot cheeks. She giggled; she couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this good—so happy and peaceful, surrounded by people who loved her.

It was better than she'd felt in a long time, that was for sure. She let out a sigh of contentment and Ralph's shadow moved over her.

"Having fun, kid?" he smiled.

"Mm-hmm," she nodded and patted the snow, "C'mon! Make a snow angel!"

He did and his had the biggest wings of all! Vanellope glitched on top of him and lounged on him like a beach chair with her hands under her head and one foot dangling over her knee. Just a couple of feet near them, Tammy and Felix were lying side by side, holding hands in the snow. Cheeks and noses were rosy, hearts were glowing, and all over they could feel the warmth that only comes with the magic of the season.

It was the Spirit of Christmas and it was here to stay.

THE END

* * *

**Author's Review****:**  
First, let's get some references out of the way…

The way Vanellope slept on top of Ralph is from the old Looney Tunes cartoons that have the little kitten sleeping on the big bad bulldog. Look it up; it's so adorable and a perfect image for these two!

Felix's winter outfit is a direct reference to _Sherlock_. I'm not an actual fan, since I've yet to watch the entire series, but I support the fandom (to a point) and I do appreciate Cumberbatch (I'm a Hiddlestoner and Hiddleston fans and Cumberbatch fans go together). I thought Felix would look sexy that way and I would appreciate it if someone drew him like that, someone who's a better artist than me.

Tammy giving Felix the pocket watch is a tribute to O. Henry's _The Gift of the Magi_, except in that story, the guy sold his watch. But come on, Felix looks great with pocket watches, especially with the _Sherlock_ look! The bracelet, which I'm sure someone has created without my knowing, is a _Beauty and the Beast_ thing. There's no symbolism behind it (not intentionally), I just really love BatB jewelry! Plus, in my favorite version of _A Christmas Carol_ (the one with George C. Scott), Fred Hollywell (played by Roger Rees) gives his wife a beautiful bracelet, so there's that tribute!

I couldn't come up with a better French inscription for the watch but since Felix pretty much did fix her heart, I figured that was all I needed!

Oh, did you notice the way he kissed her hand? That's a repeat from my first Hero's Cuties story, _Penthouse Party!_ Check it out if you haven't read it; it's super cute!

Polar Bear, as Tammy said, is the Coca-Cola Polar Bear. He usually makes a commercial appearance this time of year, so I thought, why not?

"Santa's got a brand new bag" is from _Elf_, one of my favorite Christmas movies!

Goldilocks is the code name for the soldiers from _Hogan's Heroes_. That plus the blonde hair made it perfect for Calhoun!

You guys, it's Christmas. Please make it good. This is the one time of the year when we try harder than usual to be the people we know we should be. Gather your loved ones around you and tell them you love them. Give change to a homeless person or slip some into the Salvation Army bucket. Help somebody who needs (and wants) your help. Hug a stranger! Sing a Christmas carol in public! Make a baby smile! I don't care! Just please, PLEASE, for one day of the whole freaking year, can we stop being of different races/cultures/nationalities/genders/whatever and just be human beings? In the end, that's all we are—human beings with the same hearts, minds, and souls.

For one day of the year, just be the part of humanity that is worth redeeming, the part that makes superheroes and angels and mad men in blue boxes risk their lives to protect us (trying to get to the fandom in you here), the part that makes people on the internet go "#faithinhumanityrestored." Do something that restores faith in humanity.

And please review!

Merry Christmas!

-samuraistar =^.^=


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